Enhance "Transparent Torification (Requires custom transproxy or Tor router)" in Tor Button.
I suppose you don't want people, who are behind a (Tor) transproxy or Tor router, to use Tor over Tor. Currently there is no standalone Tor Browser (#5236 (moved)). So if they install Tor Browser, they use Tor over Tor (works, slow and recommend or advised against?). Suggestion: once Transparent Torification is activated, Tor Browser instantly starts standalone, without starting Tor or Vidalia.
Ideally one could select this feature before Vidalia and Tor try bootstrapping through the Tor proxy, e.g. by passing an option to the launch shortcut/script
There is currently a workarround in the wiki. ("Edit 'start-tor-browser' script and change the line: './App/vidalia --datadir Data/Vidalia/' to './App/Firefox/firefox -profile ./Data/profile'") But that can't become the official recommendation to use Transparent Torification?
And how will Transparent Torification be compatible with SOCKS username for stream isolation? (#3455 (moved)) There is no documentation about Transparent Torification. What is the current implementation... Will it simply disable the proxy and work as a normal browser without proxy settings? Then SOCKS username for stream isolation wouldn't be usable with Transparent Torification.
Activity
Trac:
Cc: N/A to proper@secure-mail.biz
Replying to proper:
So if they install Tor Browser, they use Tor over Tor (works, slow and recommend or advised against?).
Recommended against, mainly because we're likely to make it fail to work at some point in the future (#2667 (moved)).
For Linux, that sounds great. However on Mac and Windows? Not sure. Of course, that need not block your Linux implementation as far as I'm concerned. At the very least, I bet we could convince the Tails people to use TBB then. It breaks my heart that they don't right now.
An alternative way to do this is to have Vidalia ask the user. See the prompt we create in Vidalia 0.3.2 for #2905 (closed) that asks users if they want to avoid connecting to the public network. That prompt could be adapted to also ask the user about upstream transparent tors, and to pass a special environment variable to Tor Browser to tell it to use transparent mode.
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Replying to mikeperry:
By special, I probably mean a magic value for $TOR_CONTROL_PORT and $TOR_CONTROL_PASSWD, not a new variable.
Or maybe I don't. This would ruin our ability to optionally provide a real "New Identity" button that actually gets you a new circuit.
Replying to mikeperry:
An alternative way to do this is to have Vidalia ask the user. See the prompt we create in Vidalia 0.3.2 for #2905 (closed) that asks users if they want to avoid connecting to the public network. That prompt could be adapted to also ask the user about upstream transparent tors, and to pass a special environment variable to Tor Browser to tell it to use transparent mode.
I can't do this one. Someone else free to do it.
For Linux, that sounds great. However on Mac and Windows? Not sure. Of course, that need not block your Linux implementation as far as I'm concerned. At the very least, I bet we could convince the Tails people to use TBB then. It breaks my heart that they don't right now.
Good, that I don't have to provide a cross platform implementation. I know nothing about mac. I may be able, later, to provide the Windows starter as well.
The linux start scripts are done. Where shall I upload?
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Replying to proper:
Replying to mikeperry:
An alternative way to do this is to have Vidalia ask the user. See the prompt we create in Vidalia 0.3.2 for #2905 (closed) that asks users if they want to avoid connecting to the public network. That prompt could be adapted to also ask the user about upstream transparent tors, and to pass a special environment variable to Tor Browser to tell it to use transparent mode.
I can't do this one. Someone else free to do it.
Ok, I created #5658 (closed) for it.
For Linux, that sounds great. However on Mac and Windows? Not sure. Of course, that need not block your Linux implementation as far as I'm concerned. At the very least, I bet we could convince the Tails people to use TBB then. It breaks my heart that they don't right now.
Good, that I don't have to provide a cross platform implementation. I know nothing about mac. I may be able, later, to provide the Windows starter as well.
The linux start scripts are done. Where shall I upload?
Attaching it here seems good. Set "needs_review" when you do. We'll then want Sebastian, Erinn, and the tails crew to inspect it/test it for their use cases.
Trac:
Cc: proper@secure-mail.biz to proper@secure-mail.biz, Sebastian, erinn, T(A)ILS, developers -
Trac:
Cc: proper@secure-mail.biz, Sebastian, erinn, T(A)ILS, developers to proper@secure-mail.biz, Sebastian, erinn, T(A)ILS, developers, intrigeri Trac:
start-only-tor-browserIt's attached. Don't laugh please. Changes to the original script are minimal. Not genius.
It's compatible with 'apt-get install tor vidalia' form the tor repository. I tested, closing Tor Browser (started by the modified script), will not cause closing Tor or Vidalia.
I don't have an option "needs_review". "Only leave as needs_information" "resolve as..." "reassign to..." and "accept" are available to me.
Replying to mikeperry:
We'll then want Sebastian, Erinn, and the tails crew to inspect it/test it for their use cases.
Tails does not use transparent torification, so at first glance, it seems to me we don't need any such thing.
Replying to intrigeri:
Replying to mikeperry:
We'll then want Sebastian, Erinn, and the tails crew to inspect it/test it for their use cases.
Tails does not use transparent torification, so at first glance, it seems to me we don't need any such thing.
I believe the script may be useful for Tails as well. It unbundels Tor Browser from Tor/Vidalia. You can start Tor Browser as a standalone, without starting the Tor/Vidalia from the TBB package.
The script I uploaded, is indeed useful for Transparent Torification. But it is only one step, in enhancing the Transparent Torification support.
The script is also useful, if you have Tor/Vidalia installed anyway (for other applications, such as Pidgin or whatever), and want to use Tor Browser, without the bundled Tor/Vidalia.
If you want Tor Browser in Tails, you need to be able to terminate Tor Browser, without closing Tor/Vidalia. That's what the script does.
Trac:
Cc: proper@secure-mail.biz, Sebastian, erinn, T(A)ILS, developers, intrigeri to proper@secure-mail.biz, Sebastian, erinn, T(A)ILS, developers, intrigeri, tails@boum.orgReplying to proper:
I believe the script may be useful for Tails as well. It unbundels Tor Browser from Tor/Vidalia. You can start Tor Browser as a standalone, without starting the Tor/Vidalia from the TBB package. [... If you want Tor Browser in Tails, you need to be able to terminate Tor Browser, without closing Tor/Vidalia. That's what the script does.
OK. I (intrigeri) will review this script with my Tails hat, then. Don't hesitate pinging me if there has been no movement from me in a few weeks.
For the record, this ticket is referenced on a related task page of ours: https://tails.boum.org/todo/replace_iceweasel_with_Torbrowser__63__/
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Replying to T(A)ILS developers:
OK. I (intrigeri) will review this script with my Tails hat, then.
I've successfully used this script to start torbrowser inside a Tails session. I believe this script is a nice first step towards a torbrowser that could be usable in Tails. I've started to list limitations in the "Integration that would be needed" section of the Tails todo page linked above.